Cardington-Lincoln schools discuss calendar

It was an agenda of several topics when the Cardington-Lincoln Board of Education met Feb. 19.

The calendar for 2018-19 was reviewed by Superintendent Brian Petrie, who said the staff agreed that opening day should revert to the schedule followed in previous years and begin the day after Labor Day, Sept. 4, 2018.

Christmas break will run from Dec. 24-Jan. 2 and spring break, March 25-29. Graduation will take place June 2 and the last day for students will be June 5, 2019.

Those wishing to contact him about the calendar can do so until April 9 when the board will vote on it.

In other business:

• Jon Mason, district treasurer, said the school’s financial condition is “holding steady,” with real estate tax collections coming. Referring to the district being under “Fiscal Caution,” he said that because of the improved condition, he has asked for the board’s approval for him to ask the Ohio Department of Education to review and advise a possible exit from Fiscal Caution.

The vote was unanimous approval.

• The monthly financial report and the five-year forecast were approved.

Referring to the improved financial situation, Petrie praised the passing of the earned income tax which provides “a cushion.”

Referring to the agricultural values, Mason said all of Morrow County real property (land and buildings) experienced updated values as part of their six-year major “reappraisal” by the county auditor.

“In between the six-year reappraisal, property values are “updated,” usually with minor adjustments to values- based on more recent market sales. From 2016-17 the district’s total valuation for al properties stayed about the same, less than one percent change.

However, in 2017 there were major legislative changes to the calculation of agricultural values — CAUV, to which farmland values fell over $6.5 million. or approximately 20 percent. These changes to the CAUV values are still in progress and only half bein implemented for 2017- the second half will be in 2020. Once the full changes are implemented for the ag values and CAUV, I expect the taxable values to be below what they were in 2013, prior h the 2014 update and spike in values. This all translates into about a $140,000 decrease in property tax collections in one year for the district.”

• The board approved the amounts and rates determined by the county budget commission for 2018 payments.

• The contract of Treasurer Mason was approved through July 31, 2020. Also approved were the retirements of Louine Moodispaugh, aide, effective May 31, 2018 and Bob Coffman, bus driver, May 31, 2018.